Hetalia Rapunzel Crossover
by Sweetberry771
Summary: Rapunzel Story crossed with the Hetalia Characters. I used canon and OCs for each cast member. It did this for fun. Enjoy
1. Chapter 1

A long time ago in an age where magic was a common practice and dragons reigned free, The land's beloved Queen Peach fell ill while pregnant with twins. Desperate to save his Queen and the royal babies, King John searched high and low for a rare plant that could heal her ailments.

Alas, King John stole the herb from an old friend, Gothel the Evil Witch. Although bittered about the past, Gothel allowed it in favour that she could claim one of the royal babes as payment. King John already had a daughter, Princess Marissa but she was far too old to be taken away, the evil witch thought.

Upon the King's hasty return, the healing herb was brewed into a broth that was adminstered to Queen Peach, thus saving her life as well as the twins - two little princesses whom Queen Peach named Skye and Cherry.

Not long after the two darlings were born, Gothel snuck into the castle one night and stole the younger twin, Cherry. She fled to the thickest of the forest with the babe and used an old enchantment that hid the child well.

There was a small fortress hidden behind the invisible wall. It slightly resembled a castle but also had an unnatural magic air to it. A perfect place for Gothel to hide.

The fortress was mainly guarded by an ancient dragon-shifting sorcerer named Lukas. In dragon form, he was a creature with icy blue scales, silver skin and dark purple-blue eyes. In human form, he resembled a Nordic nobleman with some scales around his face and two silverly-grey dragon horns. He rarely smiled or showed emotion to anyone; only stern purple-blue eyes, which hid a tragedy in his past. He had worked for Gothel for a few years at the time Princess Cherry had been stolen from her kingdom and brought back to the forest.

There happened to be a female dragon-shifting sorceress residing in the fortress too. Her name was Hazel, Lukas' wife for 25 years - as by the gold ring on her left little finger. She had a similar dragon form as Lukas did but with fierce hazel eyes and warm brown-orange scales as well as being slightly smaller and far more lithe. In human form, she had long orange hair like spun amber she kept in a braid and wore the robes of a Nordic noblewoman, with a few telltale scales around her face and two prominent copper-orange dragon horns. Around her neck was a stone necklace that changed colour with every type of magic she used, with a matching ring on her right hand. Although she still loved Lukas dearly, the whole working for Gothel ordeal had placed a rather uncomfortable strain on their marriage.

So when Gothel had brought the baby Cherry back, Hazel was quick to decide that she would raise the child herself to make sure that such an innocent little girl ended up nothing like the vile witch who stole her. Which had started an argument with Lukas, who believed she had no reason to concern herself with the child, despite knowing why his wife had decided on such a thing.

Neither husband or wife ever spoke of the tragedy that had struck them and later led to a strain on their marriage.

Strangely, a silverly grey rabbit with the intellect to speak roamed the fortress too. His name was Tino. In truth, he was Lukas' cousin who was turned into a rabbit some years ago. He had once explained to the young Cherry that everyone who knew him, including his fiancé thought he was dead since rabbits were hunted. Upon hearing the bad news, Tino's fiancé (a human princess) had vanished from her kingdom; no one had seen hair nor hide of her since.

* * *

18 years had passed and, with thanks to Hazel, Cherry grew up to be a well-behaved, honest child and was nothing like Gothel.

Cherry's bright red hair flowed down to her feet in a loose ponytail. She wore a purple dress. Her violet eyes stayed trained on the beach painting she was invested in. Beside her, Tino and Hazel watched her painting. Although the young girl didn't see it, Hazel insisted that she had become very beautiful and very intelligent. Then again, Hazel adored Cherry like the girl was her own daughter.

"My goodness...Can't you feel the salt in the mist of that beach, Tino? Feels just like home" Hazel stated, her mothering eyes hiding a sadness that was the reason why she despised the 'vile witch'.

Cherry giggled half-heartedly. "One day, I might be able to feel that mist for myself" she half-joked.

Tino raised onto his hind legs. "We'll find a way to do that, won't we, Hazel?' he pointed out.

Hazel gave a hopeful smile. "Of course..anything for my little Cherry" she answered.

A strange presence filled the room. The three turned to face Gothel, who wore a straight face. As a habit, Hazel's stance went from relaxed to rigid; her face resembled that of a mother dragon ready to protect her hatchling.

Gothel ignored the death glare Hazel gave her, as she knew why the female dragon-shifting sorceress despised her so much. "Painting again, are we, Cherry? I assume that means you completed your duties?" she stated.

Cherry had stood up upon Gothel's arrival. "Yes, ma'am" she confirmed.

Gothel's expression did not change. She seemed to decide that she did not care to press further. "I will be upstairs resting for my next outing tomorrow. Bring up some tea and those butter biscuits when the clock reads 5. Remember how I like my tea?" she ordered.

"The teabag steeped at 8 minutes precisely?" Cherry guessed.

"Good. Seems like she.." Gothel stated, her gaze was now trained on Hazel. "..didn't encourage you to be unruly" she continued.

Through the 18 plus years that Lukas had worked for her, Gothel made it a habit to 'test Hazel's temper' as she put it.

Gothel smirked slightly when Hazel made a slight growl of anger and disdain. Feeling pleased with herself, she left the room.

"Easy, Hazel..she's just trying to get into your head..." Tino assured, trying to calm the furious woman down.

Hazel suddenly unstiffened But her anger had yet to quell. "One of these days.." she muttered.

Tino had a worried look in his eyes as he easily guessed what would follow. He knew Hazel well, having been the closest to her since Lukas had first started courting her. "I know. But it won't bring back the past.." he reminded Hazel.

Cherry became confused. She knew Hazel didn't like Gothel but never knew why. She did also know that Hazel's husband, Lukas guarded the small castle but the male dragon shifting sorcerer never concerned himself with anything but his duties. She looked at the clock. It barely even read 4, so she had over an hour to make and bring up tea and biscuits to Gothel.

* * *

Upstairs...

Gothel sat by her vanity mirror in her chambers, the smirk still on her face. "Well, Francis" she said to her yellow ferret. "It seems everything is going according to plan outside. King John will finally rue the day he betrayed me. Of course I've had to spill blood here and there but what's a witch as great as I am to do?" she carried on.

Francis smirked as well. "Ohonhonhon. You are so brilliantly evil, my mistress" he replied in his French accent.

Gothel gave a small, sinister laugh. "Thank you" she stated.


	2. Chapter 2

As soon as the clock had gone a little over 4, Cherry went to prepare and brew Gothel's tea. She was helped by Tino and Hazel, Hazel being the one who had taught her to brew things.

Tino noticed that the tea drainer was on a high shelf.

Despite the knowledge that both Cherry and Hazel could reach the shelf easily, Tino felt it would be worth a try. He could be useful too! Being a rabbit did have its upsides - he could jump and bounce very well. So he did jump several times.

Hazel had been about to summon the fire-breath her kind was known to do when a crash startled her and Cherry. She turned to see that Tino had dislodged a floorboard in his attempt to be helpful. Now her poor cousin-in-law had gotten himself stuck between the floorboards.

"Oh my Odin, Tino!" Hazel gasped.

"Tino! You scared the life out of us! Are you alright?" Cherry asked as she helped the cursed rabbit out.

"I'm alright. I still have my high tolerance to pain as my old self" Tino assured the other two.

Hazel gave an amused smirk; she knew how much of a secret badass Tino really was. "Yeah, compared to battling that giant troll that one time" she teased her cousin-in-law out of habit.

"Hey, that led to my getting engaged, didn't it?" Tino remarked.

Upon freeing Tino from where he was lodged, Cherry noticed a rectangular box hidden under the floor. She reached in and pulled the box out. She also noticed a small wrapped object and brought that up too. First, she opened the box as Tino carefully replaced the floorboards he had dislodged.

Inside the box was a beautiful violet hairbrush. Engraved were the words "As everlasting as the stars above, remember you are always loved. To our sweet little Cherry on her first Birthday with much love, your mother, your father and your sisters, Marissa and Skye".

Cherry looked sad as she read the engraving. "With much love? Gothel always said I was abandoned.." she muttered. Had Gothel been lying to her? She then unwrapped the smaller object.

It was a silver child's rattle with moon and dragon charms, along with a small cluster of mixed gems. It also had an engraving on it. "Destiny has a funny way of surprising us, as does life. Treasure your surprises with pride. My beloved little Emil on his first birthday. With our eternal love, Mor & Far" Cherry read the message aloud. She knew that 'Mor' and 'Far' meant 'Mother' and 'Father' in Norwegian.

Tino noticed the heartbroken look in Hazel's eyes when she saw the rattle. He knew who she was thinking about. He understood, since he also missed that particular person too. Almost as much as he missed his princess.

"I never knew Gothel had a son..why didn't she say anything?" Cherry wondered.

"She doesn't. Emil was my son...mine and Lukas'. He was our pride and joy. I spent two weeks making this rattle for Emil's first birthday. Gothel has spilt a lot of blood over the years...including my little boy" Hazel injected as she gently took the rattle and looked at it, memories of her son clouding her thoughts. The worst being the night Gothel's curse killed the small boy in his own crib while his parents tried desperately to break down the door to save him in time.

Cherry then put the pieces together; Hazel was still grieving for her child. The child Gothel took from her. And why she had become Cherry's guardian. "So that's why you are the way you are with Gothel" she realised.

"Yes, a mother never forgets losing her child like I lost my little Emil. I couldn't protect him from Gothel in the end. Ever since that night, things between me and my husband haven't been the same. He chooses not to think about Emil" Hazel confirmed as she used a spell to hide the rattle in a safe dimension.

* * *

Noticing the clock was close to 5, Cherry gathered the plate of butter biscuits and the cup of tea onto a tray. She picked up the tray and rushed up to Gothel's chambers.

Gothel was already in her bed by 5. Francis sat around her neck as usual. She raised an eyebrow as Cherry entered. "Right on time again, child" she noted.

Despite knowing that Gothel had never been completely honest with her, Cherry still tried to seem cheerful. "This outing for tomorrow..is it for herbs to plant in the garden?" she asked.

"No, just a few things that need taking care of. I can rely on you to keep the fortress in good condition while I'm gone, yes?" Gothel stated.

"Yes, ma'am" Cherry replied.

Gothel took a sip of her tea. "Excellent. You may go about your business. But remember, I am not to be disturbed" she requested.

"Yes, ma'am" Cherry repeated as she left Gothel's chamber to rejoin Hazel and Tino downstairs. Upon rejoining them, she asked Hazel to tell her about Emil.

As if she guessed the moment would occur, Hazel retrieved a folded piece of parchment up her sleeve.

* * *

Upon unfolding the parchment, Cherry saw that it was a painting of Lukas and Hazel, obviously during happier times. In Hazel's arms was a small boy with white blond hair and the most peculiar eyes; although they were predominately a deep shade of purple-blue like his father's, there was a hazel ring that was barely visible around the outside of the irises. Like his parents, the small child had silvery-gold scales around his face and on his forearms, as well as two very small protruding horns of the same colour that looked very similar to his mother's own elegantly curved copper-gold horns. He wore white and blue Nordic noble clothing that complimented his fair skin, like his parents.

The child in the painting obviously had to be Emil. He seemed to be a few months old at the time the painting had been made. He also looked happy as he was laughing, clasping two of Hazel's fingers in his much smaller hand - not knowing that his happy life would be cut short.

In the painting, Hazel had a look in her eyes that was very familiar to Cherry as she held her baby; it was the look of a kind, protective mother. Only there wasn't a hint of sadness in her eyes as there had been when she'd become her guardian. Then again, this Hazel hadn't lost her child to Gothel's wrath yet.

What was strangest to Cherry about the painting was the loving way Lukas looked at Hazel and Emil with a slight smile; he obviously adored his wife and child like they were his whole world - which they most likely were at the time. It was definitely the look of a loving husband as well as a proud father.

As far as Cherry was aware during the few times she'd seen Lukas in both human and dragon form, he didn't smile and had no emotion in his eyes. Maybe losing his son had affected him more than Hazel thought.

"He would've been a year or so older than you by now..he was a proud and stubborn boy. He took after his father. A quick learner too..surprised us both when he learnt the fire-breath spell at just 5 months old. When you were first brought here, you reminded me so much of Emil...so innocent and with your whole life ahead of you. My instincts as a mother kicked in. As I told Lukas then, I wasn't going to fail you like I failed our Emil" Hazel explained.

"Speaking of the first time I came here..why would Gothel lie to me all those years?" Cherry asked.

"She has a bad reputation in the magic world. There's so much she won't tell you..like your parents didn't abandon you. They loved you. Just as Lukas and I loved our Emil. You were stolen from them by Gothel. She also doesn't want you knowing about passages..." Hazel replied. She pressed a loose cobblestone on the floor near her. A panel in the wall suddenly opened beside Cherry. "...like that one" she finished.

"How did.." Cherry wondered.

"This old fortress was once Berwald's home. He was our cousin. Well, mine and Lukas' at least. We know this place better than Gothel ever could, we all grew up with memories of being here. Hazel's been here before too" Tino answered.

Cherry stood up to inspect the passage inside.

"It leads straight to the town of the nearest kingdom. It's how Berwald used to go visit his 'special friend', Erin (Aland). It's perfectly safe" Hazel stated.

"Go on..we'll cover for you" Tino stated.

* * *

Knowing that Tino and Hazel never stirred her wrong, Cherry followed the pitch black passage. All the way through to the town. The cobblestone streets were alive with colours and music, nothing like the drab and silent fortress. An imperial white castle loomed over the little village.

In her wonder and awe, Cherry found herself in the gardens that surrounded the castle. Two teenage Asian girls in fine clothing were playing tag with five other Asian boys around their teenage years too, most likely their brothers.

Suddenly, the game was cut short when the girl in a pink dress and a pink flower in her hair fell through something. Her siblings had gathered around where she fell in shock.

Cherry also rushed over. Sure enough, there was a hole big enough to trap a large animal. The girl in pink was holding onto a thick root that was sticking out of the soil for dear life. "Don't worry. I'll help you out" she offered.

The other girl, who was in a green dress ran off with her brother who was clad in red and gold to get help.

"I'm scared, Miss" the teenage girl whimpered.

Cherry reached out one of her hands. "Grab on and I'll pull you out" she advised.

The girl only moved her hand slightly, not letting go. "I can't" she insisted.

Cherry kept her composure. "Just let go with one hand and reach up" she assured the troubled girl. The girl did what she was told this time. "You can do it" Cherry encouraged. The girl reached up and caught Cherry's hand. When Cherry offered her other hand, the girl grabbed it. Halfway in pulling the girl out, Cherry felt herself lose her footing.

To Cherry's surprise, someone else caught her; an Asian young man with short black hair and dark brown eyes. He wore white fine robes. He was able to pull Cherry back as well as the girl. He gave the girl a brief hug.

"Mei, you're arright. Thank you for saving my younger sister" the man thanked Cherry.

Cherry felt herself turn slightly pink. "Well, thank you for saving me" she replied.

A moment passed until Cherry realised she needed to get going. She waited until the young man faced his sister, Mei to reprimand her for worrying him and endangering another's life. Cherry quietly and swiftly left.

The young man, who was the Prince Kiku, turned back to ask for Cherry's name. Yet he was astonished that the girl had practically vanished. As was Mei.

* * *

Hazel was checking through the herb gardens for something that would turn Tino to normal when she felt the wind beside her change, meaning someone was there. She turned around just as the dragon turned into a human man; or to be correct, her husband Lukas.

"What is it, Lukas?" Hazel remarked; she knew what was to come.

Lukas crossed his arms, unamused. "Please don't tell me you're still wasting your best years here, Hazel" he stated.

Hazel scoffed. "Course not. I was helping Cherry out. As well as trying to find a way to turn Tino back to normal" she answered.

"I see" Lukas replied, feigning understanding before resuming a straight face. "Whilst neglecting your abilities? Prove you can still do the fire-breath spell" he requested.

Hazel rolled her eyes. To humour Lukas, she raised her hand to her mouth, her ring and necklace were now a fiery red. But when she blew, a frost ice blast came out. She checked the back of her hand and saw that the Norse rune for 'ice' was there instead of the fire rune. "Wrong rune" she joked.

However, Lukas was unimpressed. Which annoyed Hazel greatly; the old Lukas still would've laughed and claimed that she probably did that on purpose. "What about your flight? Surely you've practiced that at least?" he stated.

"That was on my list of things to do..but you know how I am with prioritising these days" Hazel remarked. This only served to inwardly infuriate Lukas.

Hazel sighed before taking her dragon form. She felt herself going higher; it had been a while since she last flew. Although she kept reminding herself not to look down, she couldn't help but to. Everything seemed so disorientating, she had to rush back down and turn back. "Stupid disorientation, that motion sickness sucked!" she complained.

Lukas looked slightly disappointed. "We don't get disorientated or motion-sick, Hazel. You've really let me down. The Hazel I know could face barrage after barrage of demons and still have more than enough energy to spar with Matthias and Berwald. And beat them" he remarked.

Hazel turned on her heel and walked off. '"Well, that makes two of us. The Lukas I married would've never associated himself with the likes of the woman who murdered our child in cold blood" she countered.

Lukas sighed. "If only you knew the real reason, my dear" he muttered.

* * *

Using the same passage, Cherry rushed back to the fortress. In her chambers, she told Tino and Hazel everything. From wandering the village to the moment she had met Kiku (not knowing that he was the Prince).

Hazel smiled thoughtfully the whole time. After all, she remembered when she and Lukas first met and sparred. Lukas had been intrigued enough to pursue her; his persistence and charm soon won her over. It hadn't been long after that until she married him which had led to their son's birth.

Tino looked blissful as well, remembering the moments he'd spent with his fiancé when he was still human.

Gothel suddenly stormed in. For the first time, she looked slightly angry. "You've snuck out" she guessed.

Cherry stood up. "Gothel, please.." she asked calmly.

"I've taken you in and cared for you since you were a baby and this is how you repay me?! By defying me?! You are to stay in the fortress!" Gothel demanded.

Hazel snorted. _'Since when have you cared for Cherry?! I'm the one who's been mothering her all these years, you foul excuse of a magic user!'_ she protested in thought.

From Gothel's shoulder, Francis smirked. He had been the one who ratted Cherry out.

"And I've heard you met someone. Tell me the boy's name" Gothel ordered.

"I don't know" Cherry answered honestly.

Gothel's eye twitched. She didn't believe Cherry. "You dare lie to me now?!" she accused.

Hazel stepped in, a dark aura that only a protective mother could master surrounding her. "She's telling the truth!" she interjected.

Gothel now glared at Hazel. "You and your rabbit cousin ought to stay out of things that aren't your business!" she argued.

Hazel glared back, her eyes going a red-gold colour like the fierce embers of fire. Tino recognised it as a sign that Hazel was about to either use her own magical powers or turn into a dragon herself. The last time Hazel had glared at Gothel like that was when she caught the witch staring at little Emil in such a way that terrified him. "Everything to do with Cherry IS my business!" she insisted.

Gothel didn't flinch. "You two ought to leave. Or do you want your husband to suffer a worse fate than your son?" she challenged Hazel, knowing full well that Hazel would never risk Lukas' well-being.

It was a dragon-shifting sorceress' duty that she uphold the honour and safety of her partner at all times. Especially one who still felt she had failed to protect her hatchling.

Hazel's eyes suddenly turned to normal; she knew she had to uphold that sworn duty as a wife. Despite their recent problems since they lost Emil, she still loved Lukas. So she dejectedly left, followed by Tino.

"Perhaps some solitary confinement will change your mind.." Gothel stated as she made the stairs and doors to Cherry's chambers disappear. The room then grew into a tower.

Before teleporting away, Gothel shattered Cherry's paintings and painting equipment out of sheer spite.


	3. Chapter 3

In the thick forest, a king's soldier and a middle class squire were travelling on horseback. The soldier was a German man with slick blond hair and semi-cold blue eyes. The squire was an Italian man with auburn hair (that had a funny curl on one side) and his eyes looked closed in happiness. Kiku had requested for them to try and find Cherry.

"Vell, Kiku vill be disappointed if ve don't find that frau who saved Mei the other day.." the German man, Ludwig remarked.

The Italian man, Feliciano grew confused. "Ve~. We can't lose-a hope yet-a. Love is-a a powerful thing-a" he said hopefully, indicating the gold ring he wore on his left finger. Despite how oblivious he looked, the Italian man knew a lot about love; he was happily married to a baker after all.

"I vish I had your optimism, mein friend.." Ludwig admitted.

A low growl that shook the ground caused the two men's horses to stop. Feliciano instantly became scared. "What was-a that, Ludwig?" he asked.

"Vhat is vhat?" Ludwig asked.

'That-a scary growl-a!" Feliciano wailed.

Ludwig sighed. "I'm sure that it's nothing, Feliciano. This forest is very ancient after all.." he stated. A second, louder growl caused him to turn around. He saw Dragon Lukas glaring at him and Feliciano with icy cold eyes. "Uh-oh" Ludwig realised.

Both Ludwig and Feliciano were quick to flee from Dragon Lukas' fire-breath.

* * *

Prince Kiku stood in the Throne Room with his older brother, Yao who was the current King.

Yao wore accents of red and yellow on his royal clothing. On top his head was the crown. Since Yao had no children, he had decided he would pass the throne right to the second oldest of him and his siblings: Kiku. "But Kiku, aru. Not even a commoner would disappear right after saving Mei's life, aru" Yao remarked.

"I know, brother. But I fear that the woman who saved Mei the other day might be in danger herserf. Which is why I asked Rudwig and Fericiano to go rook for her and hopefurry riase with me her whereabouts.." Kiku pointed out.

Ever since that unexpected meeting, Kiku had not stopped thinking about Cherry. He barely even knew her name. All he knew was that he had to find her somehow.

Yao sighed. He knew that his little brother would not let up so easily on something that didn't sit right with him. "Alright, aru. I'll give it a bit more time, aru. For you, little brother" he relented.

Kiku nodded in thanks and left the room. His brothers and sisters were waiting outside. Ah Ling and Leon were pressuring Mei to ask Kiku something.

"Alright, I'll ask! Just cut it out, you jerks!" Mei whispered to the others angrily. She then turned to Kiku. "Kiku! When will you see the lady with the pretty red hair again?" she asked.

Kiku smiled slightly at his younger siblings. They clearly wanted to see Cherry again too. "Hopefurry very soon" he answered.

* * *

Cherry woke up in a start that night. She had dreamt that Kiku had somehow tracked down where she was. Since there were no stairs to the tower, she had to throw over her own hair which had somehow grown seventy feet. When he'd reached the top, Kiku explained that he'd searched everywhere for Cherry.

The dream had quickly turned into a nightmare at Gothel's sudden visage and evil cackle.

Upon waking up, Cherry's hair was still its same height. She got up and looked out her window.

Hazel was in her dragon form, sleeping by the foot of the tower. Tino was sprawled on her back. Even when separated from Cherry, she was still looking out for the girl. Cherry remembered that Hazel had told her that her instincts as a mother had reemerged once Cherry had been brought to the old fortress as a baby.

The only other creature still awake was Lukas, who was also in his dragon form.

Cherry noticed the particular way Lukas glanced at the sleeping Hazel. There was a look of concern, longing and sadness in his eyes - which was very similar to the painting Hazel had showed her a few days ago. Only sadder and with a slight fear that he would lose her in a different way than they had lost their child. It was much different to the icy cold eyes he usually had when he was up guarding the fortress which once belonged to one of his cousins.

It made Cherry wonder; did Lukas still love his wife, deep down? She had never seen Lukas like this before - grieving for his long deceased son and fearing that he was going to lose his wife too.

Upon realising he was being watched, Lukas then cast a stern look over at Cherry. He didn't know if she actually knew about the fact that he'd lost his son and that in his years working for Gothel, he feared that he was going to lose his wife too. He merely scoffed in a reprimanding tone. He then took flight, going over the invisible wall that hid the fortress.

Cherry then looked at the hairbrush that she had found the other day; she'd kept it to remind herself that her real family were out there, hopefully still looking for her. She re-read the engraving that her real parents, as well as her two sisters, had etched onto the item. She smiled as she looked up at the stars and moon; she knew that one day she would be free and once she was, she would find Kiku again.

"I have a good feeling about tomorrow.." Cherry admitted to herself

Cherry then returned to her bed.

While the (unbeknownst to her) the stolen princess slept, the hairbrush suddenly glowed along with the stars. Once the glowing dulled, it had turned into a paintbrush.

* * *

In the morning, Hazel and Tino were picking berries to make paint.

Hazel had been (and still was) particularly livid when she found out Gothel had shattered the paintings Cherry had put so much work into, as well as her paintbrushes, Canvas, easel and paints. Which Hazel had acquired for Cherry to further encourage her creativity over the years. "Imprisoning her is one thing but destroying her favourite hobby is just plain spiteful" she ranted as she ground down the berries by hand.

"I know you're mad, Hazel but there's not a lot we can do about it" Tino assured, trying to calm Hazel down. Then again, he knew that Hazel was still a mother at heart; she would always protect Cherry like she was her own daughter - had done since she decided to be the child's guardian.

"I should've killed that witch a long time ago myself.." Hazel remarked. But then again, Hazel knew that once dead, Gothel would never face the true consequences of her selfish deeds.

Lukas suddenly arrived, standing behind Hazel. "Now what are you doing?" he demanded.

Tino flinched at his cousin's tone.

Hazel didn't face her husband; she didn't need to since she knew him almost too well. "What's it look like, numbskull? Making paint for Cherry" she stated.

"I've told you before not to concern yourself with that girl anymore! Must I remind you what we stand for?" Lukas argued.

Hazel stood up and faced Lukas with a rather stern look in her eyes. "You need reminding of that much more than I do, foolish husband! And you know why I did!" she countered, crossing her arms.

Tino flinched in fear. He knew from experience that things turned bad whenever Lukas and Hazel argued.

Lukas grew frustrated, despite that Hazel's feistiness was why he fell in love with her in the first place. "Hazel, our kind, like Dragons, resemble strength, power, courage and loyalty! I sometimes wonder where your loyalties really lie.." he remarked.

Hazel became furious at Lukas's hypocrisy. How dare he question her loyalty if his had not been with her for all these years?! "Funny you should say that, I wonder about **_your_** loyalties. Because you once were a loyal husband! At least until that foul witch killed our Emil!" she argued back.

Lukas narrowed his eyes at his wife once she said the name 'Emil'; he absolutely hated it when Hazel mentioned their son. "This isn't over, Hazel!" he growled as he flew off in Dragon form.

Hazel growled as well, mostly at her husband's inability to see her point. "What an idiot! Why am I still married to him, Tino?" she asked Tino.

Tino laughed. "Because you still love him after all these years" he reminded Hazel.

Hazel sighed. "That's not reassuring, Tino" she remarked.

* * *

Cherry thought about recent events. She knew nothing of Gothel's past but understood that it was something no one liked to remember. All Gothel had done was lie and deceive; and she had been doing it long before she had stolen Cherry.

A strange sound caught Cherry's attention. She turned to realise that Hazel was in Dragon form, flying in front of her window. In her arms was an iron bowl full of ground berries.

Tino leapt off Hazel's shoulder as she took her human form to go through the window. "Ta-dah! We made you some new paint!" he announced.

Cherry smiled. "Thank you, guys. And was that your dragon form, Hazel?" she wondered.

"Yes. I'm very out of practice in using it" Hazel admitted.

"But I don't have any paintbrushes. Gothel destroyed all of them, remember?" Cherry pointed out.

Hazel sighed; she'd forgotten about that. Although there had been no paintbrushes at the old castle she and Lukas use to live in when Emil was still alive, the 7 month old child often resorted to using his fingers and hands. But Cherry needed a better substitute for a paintbrush.

Tino noticed the paintbrush by the window. "Hey. Where did this come from? Wasn't there a hairbrush here last night?" he asked.

Upon noticing that Tino was right, Cherry picked up the paintbrush and examined it. She then looked at a blank wall opposite her bed.

Hazel blinked. _'Whatever has done that..they must have some sort of plan'_ she thought.

Cherry knew exactly what to paint; the kingdom she had gone to via the passage Hazel and Tino showed her. She dipped the paintbrush in the paint. She thought about the vivid village square, the warm breeze and the castle grounds, where she'd met Kiku.

As soon as the bristles touched the wall, there was a luminous glow. Cherry painted the kingdom from memory. To her surprise, a colourful butterfly flew out from the mural.

Hazel knew that the paintbrush had to be a form of good magic, brought about by the purity and goodness in Cherry's heart. Something wanted to help Cherry.

After a moment's thought, Cherry had realised that she had to go through the mural. That way, she would finally be free.

Before Tino or Hazel could process what was going on, Cherry immediately went through the painting.

* * *

Kiku had in the castle gardens, mulling over the bad news his friends Ludwig and Feliciano had given him. That they could not find Cherry. Feliciano had encouraged him not to lose hope as sometimes, love had a way of finding people. To his shock, Cherry seemed to appear out of nowhere.

Cherry looked around in amazement. The mural had acted as a secret passage. She was startled by a hand touching her shoulder. She turned to face Kiku.

"You're here...I've been rooking for you" Kiku stated.

Cherry smiled bashfully, surprised to hear such a thing. "I hadn't been able to find a way back until today" she replied.

"I never got your name rast time" Kiku requested.

"It's Cherry" Cherry answered.

Kiku made a notion to bow. "I am.." he began to introduce himself.

"There's no need to tell me.." Cherry interrupted. She did not want Gothel to harm Kiku if she knew his name.

Kiku was confused. "Why not?" he wondered.

"It's a long story I'd rather not delve into" Cherry replied.

"I understand" Kiku answered. He had realised that it was not his privilege to ask and that he should respect Cherry's request. All that mattered to him was getting to see her again. So he decided to give her a tour of his kingdom.


	4. Chapter 4

Hazel paced inside the tower back and forth, growing worried as she felt time pass by slowly. She was not sure if Gothel was currently on her way back. And if so, Hazel feared that Lukas was going to be in terrible danger; Gothel was known to kill her servants if they disobeyed her. This only worried her further.

Tino realised just how worried Hazel was becoming by the rushed ramblings in Norwegian she made as she paced. It was to the point where she wasn't making any sense to him any more. He remembered that Lukas did the exact same thing when Emil was being born, afraid that both his wife and their child would die because of unforeseen complications.

Tino tried to calm Hazel down. "Now, now, Hazel. It has only been an hour.." he stated.

"Gothel can be on her way back any minute now! If she finds out Cherry's gone, she'll think it was Lukas' fault! You know what she'd do to him! How can I possibly calm down?!" Hazel remarked back, not bothering to hide her concern for her husband. As Tino had pointed out this morning, she still loved Lukas.

"Hazel, you know Lukas. He has handled worse situations before. In fact, that was how he first met you" Tino assured his cousin-in-law; he remembered hearing from Lukas about that sparring match from many years ago.

"Despite that he doesn't listen to me anymore, he's still my husband! I will not let Gothel kill Lukas!" Hazel pointed out. She then looked at the mural. "I'll just have to go in there myself" she decided. The back of her hand showed the Norse Rune symbols for 'Ice' and 'Time' as she quickly muttered an incarnation for a suspension spell, freezing Gothel and her horse in time.

"Good luck" Tino encouraged.

* * *

Hazel tentatively passed through the mural and into the castle gardens. Right in front of Cherry and Kiku. She looked down to notice she had passed through safely. "I actually made it! Thank the Gods!" she laughed in relief.

Kiku, who had never even seen a dragon-shifting sorcerer or sorceress before, drew his sword. "Stay back, Cherry!" he warned, jumping to conclusions.

Cherry stopped Kiku from attempting to attack Hazel. "Wait, please don't hurt her! She's my friend!" she told him.

Kiku blinked and glanced at Cherry. "You're friends with a dragon?" he wondered.

Cherry nodded. "She's the one who raised me" she stated. Only confusing Kiku further.

Hazel put her hands on her hips. "Clearly, he's never seen a dragon-shifting sorceress before..and the name's Hazel, buddy boy" she remarked. She then turned to Cherry. "Cherry, Gothel's on her way back. We need to get back to the tower now.. if she realises you're gone, she'll kill my husband" she explained.

Cherry hesitated. If she left now, there was a chance she wouldn't have another chance to be free again.

"Please... Cherry, you know I wouldn't ask you this unless I have to. I'd do the same for you." Hazel reasoned.

Cherry knew that Hazel was right. She sighed. "I'm sorry but I must get going" she apologised to Kiku.

"I understand. But wirr you come to the gara my brother is hosting tonight?" Kiku requested, handing a small scroll to Cherry.

Cherry smiled. "It's a promise..and I never break my promises" she told Kiku. She briefly pecked his cheek before being led away by Hazel.

Kiku placed two fingers on his cheek, processing what had just happened.

Hazel chuckled. "Sounds to me you've got a little date tonight" she teased.

Cherry shook her head in disbelief. She stopped at a gate door and painted a mural of the tower. She and Hazel went through, returning to Cherry's room in the tower.

Hazel unsuspended Gothel and helped Cherry hide the mural behind a large wardrobe.

* * *

Upon returning, Gothel paced a little around the room, looking for anything that seemed out of place. She hadn't remembered being in suspension but her return had felt longer than usual.

Lukas was stood by the tower window, staring Hazel down as if to try and figure out if she was hiding something from him. He was unaware that Hazel had potentially saved his life.

Hazel merely returned the stare, not even fazed by the cold analytical look in Lukas' eyes. This was not the first time she had been in a situation where she had to keep a secret from him. Especially if it was for his own good.

Tino almost snorted with laughter at the intense stare-off between husband and wife. It brought back many memories for him.

"Hmm. Everything seems almost normal here. Lukas, you're better at this than I am. Does it seem like your wife is hiding something?" Gothel asked.

Lukas shook his head; he knew Hazel was not one to crack under any sort of pressure. Usually, he had to wait for her to tell him in her own time. Who knew how long would that be? "Can't say. She's always had a talent of keeping things from me, whether its important or not" he answered curtly.

Underneath a steady and calm expression, Hazel was seething with muted rage. Was this seriously the thanks she got for putting up with Gothel for years?!

"Very well" Gothel decided, teleporting away.

Lukas' stare on his wife didn't lessen.

Hazel crossed her arms with a determined look in her eyes. "You can stare like that all you like, dear husband. You already know that doesn't work on me" she reprimanded.

Lukas then looked over at Tino. His cousin was more likely to spill the beans when he was under pressure. He knew something was amiss just by the amused look the rabbit wore. "Tino? Something you want to share with everyone?" he asked.

Tino shook his head. "Nope. Just remembering the good ol' days, really" he stated.

Lukas immediately knew that he wasn't going to get any answers from his cousin or, more importantly, his wife. So he jumped out the window, taking his dragon form in mid-air and flying away.

Hazel's face exploded in a huge grin and she hugged Cherry. "Thank you, Cherry. Now I don't have to worry about Lukas being harmed" she remarked.

Cherry decided to ask Hazel something; she'd often wondered if Hazel still loved Lukas. She must do, if she had to plead Cherry to come back. "Do you still love your husband?" she asked.

Hazel sighed as she knew she had to be honest with Cherry. She did teach her to always tell the truth, after all. "Of course I do. I've been married to him for 25 years...we even had a child together. When you've known and loved someone for even that long, it doesn't fade. Especially considering the way I fell in love with Lukas many years ago...he wasn't always so serious and closed off. Grief does awful things to good people" she replied with a wistful look in her eyes as she looked at her old wedding ring, thinking about how things once were between her and Lukas.

* * *

Late one evening in a castle with a blue-purple tinge, a woman with chocolate brown hair and violet eyes stood in the terrance. She was dressed in royal attire but had an iron armour corset and shoulder guards. She was the recently coronated Queen Marissa, the oldest daughter of King John and Queen Peach. She called over a man with pale hair that was almost white and dark purple eyes. He was dressed in a mixture of royal attire and armour.

"You called, my darling sunflower?" the man greeted as soon as Marissa had called him to the terrance.

"Ivan, my king, are our soldiers ready?" Marissa asked.

"Da, they are ready for your command, sunflower" Ivan, Marrisa's husband confirmed.

Marissa glared into a different direction. "I will never forgive Yao for what his father has done.." she stated.

Ivan placed a comforting hand on his wife's shoulder. He knew of how her younger sister was stolen from her kingdom 18 years ago. He was also there when Marissa had been by her parents' deathbed, promising to continue searching for her stolen sister. He'd also promised his in-laws that he would. "We'll find her, I'm sure of it. Family doesn't give up on family. I'd do the same for Katyusha or Natalya if they were ever taken" he assured Marissa.


	5. Chapter 5

Cherry told Tino and Hazel all about how Kiku had shown her around the kingdom. Tino was reading the small scroll Kiku had given Cherry while Hazel was styling Cherry's hair in an elegant braid that was befitting for a mermaid princess.

"And you still don't know his name?" Tino wondered.

"I don't want to put him at Gothel's mercy..I don't want to know what she is really capable of" Cherry explained.

Tino nodded in understanding.

Hazel snorted in disbelief. "Gothel? Merciful? Never. But it's a good idea nonetheless. For her to curse anyone, all she needs is a name and face. Without either, her curses are worthless. Since most magic is admittedly very...finicky" she remarked.

"Is that how she killed Emil? And turned Tino into a rabbit?" Cherry asked.

Hazel nodded. "Yes. And how she killed Matthias and Berwald..I never figured out exactly how she knew their names and faces as well as Tino's since she's never met Berwald or Tino. Matthias was probably stupid enough to tick her off, though" she added.

"Matthias?" Cherry wondered, curious about her friends' past. Since learning that Hazel and Lukas once had a son, she had been wondering about how things once were for them and Tino. Before Gothel had almost killed off their kind.

"Mine and Lukas' other cousin. He was not a bright one, despite being the oldest. After him was Lukas, then Berwald and finally me. He was always jealous that Lukas was the first out of us four to get married and to later on become a father...anyway, Matthais was shot out of the sky by humans while he was in dragon form. His wing was damaged and he was stabbed before he could turn back into a human. You were lucky to have never met him..Hazel hated him so much" Tino explained, hesitating to remember Matthias in a fond manner.

"The way I always thought that reckless idiot would go. He was always such a show-off, always had to be better than everyone else. Especially when it came to competing with Lukas. Berwald lost his life when Gothel cursed Erin to kill Ber when they secretly met up..Lukas was more surprised about what had happened to Berwald more than Mat" Hazel continued as she remembered her husband's other two cousins; the two that had been there when Hazel had first met Lukas.

"And Emil?" Cherry pressed.

* * *

Hazel sighed. "It happened the night before his birthday. Lukas and I were talking, as we always would after putting Emil to bed. The minute he started crying for us, I knew something was wrong just by the desperation in his cries. A spell, no a curse, had been cast on Emil's door so we couldn't get in. Lukas and I tried everything to get to Emil. All either of us cared about was getting to our defenceless little boy in time. It's true what they say about parents displaying incredible strength when their child is in danger, especially if their child is still just a baby. Parent Dragon-Shifting Sorcerers are especially very powerful when it comes to protecting their children. Lukas and I were no exception to that fact. By the time we'd finally broken down the door and rushed in...our son had stopped breathing. No mother can forget seeing her baby lying lifeless in his crib" she explained. She felt her heartache all over again, almost tearing up at the memory. Just as she had cried when she and Lukas had broken down that door only to find their son dead.

Cherry was still confused. "How did you know it was Gothel who killed him?" she asked.

"She'd met Emil once. When she came to our castle to try and convince Lukas to accept her offer. The stare she gave Emil was unsettling. Almost like she intended to harm him. And when Lukas and I came here, she had this smirk that gave it away. A mother always knows these things. I've despised her ever since. For killing my sweet, innocent son and putting this unbearable strain on my marriage" Hazel answered.

Cherry now wore a look of sadness.

Hazel sighed. "He was the same age you were when Gothel stole you from your family...almost a year old. I think he would've loved to have a little sister..I chose to be your guardian because deep down, I'm still a mother. So there's no need to feel like that.." she assured.

* * *

Cherry then turned to ask Tino about his fiancé and how he was turned into a rabbit.

"I was flying to gather some materials for magic. I stopped at a cave to rest up. In ran this human princess. She had such beautiful caramel hair and the brightest hazel eyes I'd ever seen. We ended up talking - she was hiding from a giant troll that was trying to eat her or something. She left a little while later..." Tino began. He then took a breath. "...But when I heard her scream, I immediately rushed over to see that the giant troll was trying to scare her out of this tree she was hiding in. I took my dragon form and fought it. When I won, I flew the princess back to her kingdom and explained everything to her father. He'd thanked me and asked if there was any way to repay me.." he continued.

"And then?" Cherry asked.

Tino chuckled. "I was at an age where all dragon-shifting sorcerers like me start settling down. I was third out of me and my cousins to do so. In that time I'd spent in the cave with the princess, I'd really fallen for her. So I told him that the only thing I could possibly want was his daughter's hand in marriage. And he'd allowed it. It was such a happy time. One day, when I was visiting my bride-to-be, I was turned into a rabbit. When I ran into her father, he didn't recognise me and tried to kill me. So I had to run away. Now my true love thinks I'm dead" Tino explained.

Cherry was shocked. "Oh, Tino, that's so sad" she stated.

Hazel rolled her eyes; obviously losing Emil was much worse. She said nothing as she finished her task. "There you go" she announced.

Cherry stood up. Looking in the mirror, she realised that her dress was too plain. She then had an idea. She took her paintbrush and painted different dresses to try. She soon settled for a violet and pale pink dress that sparkled like the stars. She gave a spin. "This is the one" she decided.

Hazel wiped away a tear. "So beautiful" she stated. _Just like the princess she really is._

"Hold on. You can't go to a masquerade party without a mask" Tino pointed out as he handed a homemade half-mask to Cherry. It was a pale pink.

"You two made this for me?" Cherry asked.

Hazel smiled as she held Cherry's face in her hands, like a mother would do. "My little Cherry, all grown up" she stated.

* * *

The room grew tense as Gothel suddenly appeared. She had an unusual smirk; a smirk Hazel had seen before. The same smirk that she wore when Lukas started working for her.

Hazel's stance became rigid.

All Lukas could do was stand by the window and watch everything pan out.

"My, my. You look lovely in your new party dress..but your hair..there's something wrong with it" Gothel mocked in a patronising tone. She suddenly used her magic to cut Cherry's lovely long hair to barely reach her shoulder.

Cherry was horrified. "No.." she gasped.

"Oh, come now. Hair grows back, child" Gothel remarked. She then picked up the violet paintbrush and shattered it.

Hazel was now seething so much. She knew Gothel had a nasty plan for the poor boy Cherry had met.

"Why, you spiteful, nasty, old hag!" Tino seethed.

"Francis..you can eat him" Gothel merely stated.

Francis leapt for Tino but Tino dodged by jumping straight into Hazel's arm. She merely moved the disgusting French ferret aside with her foot. "Go away, Francis, you pest" she scolded

Gothel took a menacing step towards Hazel. "You gave her that paintbrush, didn't you?! I know it was you! Although I expected it from you, you still continue to defy me! You arrogant piece of.." she ranted.

Lukas now looked visibly angry.

"Gothel, stop! Hazel and Tino didn't do anything wrong!" Cherry cried, trying to defend her friends.

Gothel was then distracted by the mural. She went over and touched it. "What kind of magic is this?" she demanded as her hand went through. To her, it felt like an incantation Hazel had used to inelegantly boot Gothel out of her home.

"I don't know" Cherry admitted.

Gothel, still believing that Cherry was lying, then shattered the mural. "More lies!" she accused.

Hazel had had enough. She stormed over to Gothel, her eyes a furious red. Her free hand had turned into a dragon claw and she swiped Gothel's face, scratching her. "If anyone's a liar, it's you! Cherry knows you'd stolen her! I've put up with you for years but you've finally crossed a line!" she snapped.

"Hazel!" Three different voices exclaimed; that being Cherry, Tino and Lukas.

* * *

Gothel grabbed Tino by the scruff of his neck and threw him out the window. As she calculated, Hazel jumped out and turned into her dragon form to catch him.

Gothel commanded Lukas to take his dragon form; she then got on his back. "You have one last chance, Cherry. The boy. Tell me his name!" she demanded.

"I told you, I don't know" Cherry answered.

Gothel made an angry look. "Wrong answer" she remarked. She then proceeded to cast a spell. "Tower, tower, know your part. Never release your prisoner with a dishonest heart. Of all the vicious words ever spoken, my fearsome curse can never be broken" she cackled. She had Lukas land by the fortress grounds. "That wife of yours is far too unruly for her own good, Lukas" she complained as Lukas took his human form.

Lukas sighed; he'd now had enough of Gothel's tendency to insult Hazel behind her back. "It's not her fault...she's always known you killed our Emil. You're not a parent nor are you married so you can't understand the true consequences of your actions. I hadn't gone back on my word but you're the one not holding your end of the deal..you said you would leave her be" he remarked.

Gothel got an idea; the only way she came close to crushing Hazel's pride was by threatening to endanger Lukas. After all, despite the strain on their marriage, the two still loved each other and would do anything for each other. "Maybe she'd change her ways if she was made to believe that her beloved husband was about to be destroyed.." she mused, which confused Lukas. Gothel then conjured an iron clasp on Lukas' wrists and a chain attached to the fortress wall.

Lukas tried to tug the chain out of the wall or turn into his dragon form but nothing he attempted worked. "What the hell, Gothel?!" he demanded, angered by Gothel's betrayal.

"I'll deal with you later. This will show that wife of yours that I'm not messing around. Just like I showed her husband by taking the life of their only child" Gothel answered and left.

Lukas growled lowly to himself for not realising Gothel would turn on him and go back on her word. He glanced over to where Hazel was examining Tino for injuries. He sighed. What hurt more was that he knew that he had already lost his wife, just as he always feared he would. "I've failed you, Hazel. Just like I failed Emil..I'm sorry, my love" he muttered.


	6. Chapter 6

Hazel sat in the back area of the fortress; it still pained her to see what Gothel had done to Lukas. She knew why too; to forcibly demand her co-operation in the future. Not only that but also Cherry's tower had a dark ominous aura to it after Gothel had cast an eternal imprisonment spell on the tower. It was her fault that the two people she loved most in the world were miserable. Both of them needed her more than ever.

But Hazel knew she couldn't save Cherry without reasoning with her husband first. And there was no way Lukas was going to listen to her now of all times.

"What can I do to remedy this?" Hazel asked herself. Despite her dwindling hope, she still wanted to save the stolen princess she had raised as her own child for 18 years and the man she had been married to for 25 years.

Tino sighed and hopped over to Hazel. "Hazel, you ought to tell him what you did to protect him.." he advised.

Hazel sighed as well. "I know but you know how Lukas is, Tino. He won't listen to me anymore. He hasn't since the night we lost Emil..Why should now be any different?" she pointed out.

Tino patted Hazel's leg with a paw. "While he's like that, he has no choice but to hear what you have to say. Maybe now, he will realise you never lost your loyalty to him as his wife. It might be the only way either of you can salvage your marriage.." he encouraged.

* * *

Lukas glared at the night sky. "Chained like a common animal while my marriage is still in shambles..all because of that child.." he muttered. He saw a familiar orange-gold dragon land in front of him; it was Hazel.

Hazel took her regular form. "Lukas..it's time I told you something very important.." she began.

Lukas sighed, thinking Hazel was going to say 'I told you so'. "I don't want to hear it" he refused.

Hazel crossed her arms. "Well, looks like you've got no other choice but to" she told Lukas.

Lukas rolled his eyes. He knew too well just how stubborn Hazel could be - he knew that when he married her. He had no choice but to hear her out.

Hazel took a breath as she proceeded to tell her husband what he'd failed to realise. Both today and over the years. "Cherry saved your life and you were too foolish to realise she had! I didn't give her that magic paintbrush, the gods did. She only had her freedom for an hour but she came back because I asked her to!" she explained.

Lukas blinked in surprise; he wondered if he hadn't needed to question Hazel's loyalty to him because it was now obvious that she had not forgotten it. "What?" he asked.

"She gave up her freedom so that Gothel wouldn't destroy you! It's the truth! All those years you thought I wasted here, I was raising her. Like I would've raised Emil. I knew she needed a mother! But I never forgot my loyalty to you nor have I stopped loving you. I put up with that witch for your sake! If that's not proof of my loyalty, I don't know what is! Now for once, you're going to listen to me and help me get that poor girl out of there!" Hazel remarked.

Lukas sighed; he knew he had to confess the truth. After all, Hazel deserved to know. "I didn't realise..that you were still trying to protect me as I've tried to protect you for years" he apologised.

Now it was Hazel's turn to be surprised. "What?" she asked.

"Did you really think I'd forgotten my loyalty to you? After Emil's death that night, I realised Gothel was serious about destroying everything I really held dear...which was you and Emil. I couldn't let that happen again. I made a deal with her that I'd work for her on the condition that she didn't dare to harm you. I thought it was for the best...you know I'd gladly go against my own integrity if it meant you'd be safe. But I was still losing you. I've failed as a husband as well as a father.." Lukas explained.

Hazel placed a hand over Lukas'. "You stubborn-minded, foolish man. You could've told me the truth. I would have understood if you had, Lukie...I'm still your wife, after all. Even after I failed to protect our little one.." she stated.

Lukas managed a slight smile at the old but familiar nickname Hazel had used; she used to affectionately call him 'Lukie' when their son was born. "You haven't called me that since Emil was alive..I still think about him, you know. Especially of the night we lost him. You weren't the one who failed him...I was. Which is why mentioning him bothered me... because of the guilt that I couldn't protect him. When she..Cherry was first brought here, everything I'd felt the night we lost our Emil came back. Since she was so much like him. I told myself that I wouldn't let either of us feel like that again, that I wouldn't let you suffer the heartbreak of losing another child...I was wrong" he noted.

Hazel was slightly taken aback. It always seemed to her that Lukas never thought about Emil as often as she did. But she was glad to hear that her husband was on her side once again; they always worked much better as a team. "Then you'll help me?" she asked.

Lukas sighed, looking concerned. In his time working for Gothel, he had learnt that the evil witch was almost as powerful as his own wife. And Hazel was strong enough to start Armageddon or Ragnorok if she wanted to. "My dear, I've worked for that witch for over 18 years. Gothel is nearly as powerful as you are, her spells are unbreakable" he informed Hazel.

A look of disappointment crossed Hazel's face. "That poor girl...she doesn't deserve what Gothel has done to her...why is it that innocent children are made to pay for their parents' actions?" she sighed.

Lukas then realised something; Gothel's spell could only trap someone who had spent a lifetime lying. And Hazel had raised the stolen child like she was her own daughter. Knowing Hazel, she had most likely taught the girl that honesty was a valuable asset. "There might be something we can do. Hazel, Gothel's spell can only trap one with a dishonest heart" he told his wife.

"But Cherry isn't a liar! I know she's not!" Hazel realised.

"Exactly. Then you know what the outcome will be, my dear" Lukas remarked.

* * *

With Tino on her shoulder, Hazel transformed and flew up to the tower's window. "Cherry! You never once lied to Gothel! So Lukas thinks that Gothel's spell can't trap you" Hazel informed the girl.

Cherry was slightly surprised, especially knowing that Lukas was now helping her. "What did Gothel say?" she thought aloud.

"Never release your prisoner with a dishonest heart. And I know you best, don't I?" Hazel reminded Cherry.

Cherry then realised that Lukas could be right. So she attempted to pass through the ominous aura over the tower. She did so with ease, landing on Hazel's back.

Hazel flew down, transforming back as Tino and Cherry disembarked. "Thank you, Lukas" Cherry thanked the dragon-shifting sorcerer.

Lukas shook his head with a slight smile. He now regretted not bothering with Cherry all those years; Hazel had raised her well. Like the daughter they never had but would've still loved just as much. "Actually, in light of recent circumstances, I'm the one who should be thanking you. For so much. Hazel raised you well..Emil would've loved to have you as a younger sister" he replied.

Hazel grinned. "I said the exact same thing, my dear" she remarked.

Tino cleared his throat. "Hate to interrupt but we still need to stop Gothel. She's on her way to the castle" he reminded everyone.

Lukas growled in realisation. "I would gladly take you there myself but.." he stated, indicating that he was still chained. Plus, Tino was still a rabbit. "Hazel's the only one who'd be able to take you" he remarked.

Hazel glanced where the invisible wall was. "Its still so disorientating though.." she mused.

Lukas knew that Hazel could do it; she had done much more challenging things in the past. Even when she had been heavily pregnant with Emil. "Hazel, do you believe that any powerful dragon-shifting sorcerer can fly over that wall?" he prompted.

Hazel rolled her eyes. "Of course, I believe that. I've seen you do it for years" she answered.

Lukas gave Hazel a real smile. One he hadn't shown her since their son was still alive. "Then you can do it, my love. If you can bring the king of demons to his knees while pregnant with our son, you can fly over that wall. Someone has to stop Gothel from taking any more innocent lives. If anyone can do that, it's you" he told her. It surprised him when Hazel hugged him for the first time in years but he hugged her back as best he could. "God, I've missed you" he quietly told Hazel.

Tino giggled. It had been about time the two had rekindled their marriage.

Hazel then took her dragon form. Once Cherry and Tino were on her back, she took flight. Although she did feel a little motion-sick, it went away when she reminded herself that she had passengers. 'Lukas is right, I can do this' she told herself. The self-encouragement seemed to work as she was soon over the wall; the view ahead reminded her of why she missed flying.

* * *

The palace ballroom was brimming with dancing royalty, nobility and commoners alike.

Kiku grew anxious; he had been waiting for Cherry for a while. Yet there was no sign of her. "I can't give up just yet. She gave me her word" he reminded himself.

A figure in earthy green tones crossed from the entrance to the palace gardens. Oddly enough, the masked person had familiar long red hair in a braid. It had to be Cherry.

Although relieved, Kiku was confused that he practically had to follow the young lady he had spent the afternoon with through the gardens and into a maze.

The figure reached back and unpinned the red braid. She took off the mask, revealing herself to be Gothel. The witch wore an unfair, evil smirk that twisted the fresh ugly scratch scar left by Hazel. "Were you not expecting my glorious presence, Prince Kiku?" she taunted. Although Cherry never told her the boy's name, she already knew who he was. She knew Cherry hadn't learnt his name in order to protect him. But Gothel had her ways.

Kiku was aware that Gothel must've been the woman who restricted Cherry's freedom. "Where is Cherry?" he asked.

"That's not important. I've seen to it that she can't protect you" Gothel remarked. Francis chuckled as he leapt off Gothel's shoulder next to the red braid.

Kiku's eyes slightly widened in concern. He feared that Gothel may had done something drastic. The concern changed to slight anger. "What have you done to her?" he demanded.

Gothel grew cross. "That's not your business. I'm here to make sure you don't interfere with my plan!" she countered as she tried to attack him with her magic.

Kiku was quick enough to dodge out the way. Even outside, he could hear a commotion in the ballroom. He fled, managing to narrowly avoid Gothel's attacks as she pursued him.

* * *

Yao had been caught off guard by Queen Marissa and King Ivan's soldiers storming the castle. Despite being a small man, the asian king was very quick on his feet and a competent fighter. He was not surprised to cross blades with Queen Marissa.

Kiku suddenly burst in. Once he saw that his older brother was in peril, he quickly drew a sword from the wall and crossed blades with King Ivan.

Gothel walked in. She calmly enjoyed the chaos for a few minutes before disarming everyone with her magic.

Queen Marissa blinked, recognising the witch. "Gothel? Why are you even here?' she asked.

Kiku and Yao were confused. "You know her?" they wondered.

Queen Marissa shrugged. "Not personally. But my father knew her a very long time ago. Before he married my mother. He and Gothel were childhood friends" she replied.

Gothel's eye twitched furiously since her twisted mind remembered her childhood as something else. "'Friends?!' Is that what your Daddy told you?! He loved me! I know he did!" she protested.

Queen Marissa sighed. "No, Gothel. You must've misread him..." she stated.

Gothel grew angry. "You're foolish, just like him!" she argued.

Yao blinked. "Are we all forgetting something, aru? She still attacked my kingdom unprovoked, aru" he pointed out.

Queen Marissa glared at Yao. "Your father stole my little sister!" she protested.

Yao had had enough. "I have six brothers and two sisters, aru! Why would we steal your sister, aru?" he countered.

Gothel smirked. "No. I did" she confessed. Everyone looked at her in shock.

"What?" Queen Marissa asked.

"I had Cherry the whole time. Yao and his father were the perfect scapegoat. You see, Marissa. You and your sisters would've been my daughters had your father chose me as his rightful Queen rather than your mother, Peach." she bragged.

Queen Marissa was livid. "It was you? Where is she, Gothel?! Tell us! You demon!" she cursed.

Gothel prepared to summon her magic to attack Marissa. "Foolish, headstrong Marissa. You and your sisters are all about to pay for your father's sins.." she remarked. Ivan was immediately by Marissa's side, ready to take the brunt for her.

* * *

"No!" a familiar voice rang out. Everyone, Gothel included, turned to the door as Cherry ran in; she had heard everything. "No more, Gothel! You kept me locked away and lied to me for 18 years just because you were angry at my parents?! I'm done listening to you! It's time someone stopped you for once and for all" she queried.

Queen Marissa was shocked to see that the little sister that had been stolen from her kingdom years ago was all grown up.

Although she knew the spell hadn't worked due to Cherry being a truthful child, Gothel snorted in self-assurance. "Oh really? You think you of all people could stop me?" she challenged.

"Maybe not alone..but I do have a powerful dragon-shifting sorceress as my ally" Cherry pointed out.

Hazel was immediately by Cherry's side. Her now amber red glared at Gothel in a way that had famously brought multiple demons to their knees.

Gothel snorted again. "Her, powerful? Oh please, if she were, she would've killed me a long time ago for killing her baby" she mocked.

"'Ooo, so scary'! Did your little rabbit friend come too? Because I'm about ready to dine! Bon Appeti" Francis also taunted, putting on a white bib and holding up a knife and fork.

Tino, sick of the French ferret always trying to eat him, turned to Hazel. "Let him have it, Hazel" he encouraged.

Hazel rose her hand to her mouth, her necklace and ring stones were both fire red. Now that she had a newfound confidence in her powers as she once did when she was young; the rune symbol for 'Fire' appeared on her hand. Her fire-breath spat out at 15 impressive feet; she badly singed Francis to a charcoal black rather than a bleach blond.

Francis fled.


	7. Chapter 7

Gothel's eyes briefly widened. "hmm..I'm guessing Lukas had something to do with this.." she remarked.

Hazel hurled a fireball at Gothel, setting her sleeve on fire. The witch quickly patted the flame to nothingness, revealing a black demonic seal that was etched boldly on her arm; it was the mark of a demon. Confirming the sorceress' suspicions all those years; she'd acquired her powers through foul means.

"I should've known. How else could you be nearly as powerful as me? Not by birth like me, that's for sure. You sold your soul to a demon in exchange for your powers..Yes, I remember who you used to be, Katherine Gothel. The ambitious daughter of The Executioner and The Black Spider. You let them warp you into a monster. Just like they were. Imagine, the soulless daughter of two murderers as a Queen...the land would perish" Hazel remarked.

The spectating guests were horrified; The Executioner and The Black Spider had been known throughout the land as the evilest, cruelest murderers in history. They had turned their only daughter, Katherine into their spitting images: dark, cruel, manipulative, arrogant and evil.

Gothel seemed shocked to hear her old name as well as her parents' nom du plumes (French for 'pen name'). She then lunged for Hazel, hands glowing a blackish-green.

Hazel quickly caught Gothel's hands, her own hands glowing amber red like her eyes often did whenever she used her magic. "The gods know how long I've been waiting for this day. When I finally pass just punishment onto your head!" she stated as she easily hurled Gothel back to the ground.

Despite that she was terrified of the dragon-shifting sorceress she had scorned a long time ago, Gothel still had to hide her fear by being arrogant. "You wouldn't dare kill me! You had many chances before but you never took them!" she retorted.

"Unlike you, Gothel, I am not a killer. What I am is a sorceress. a fighter, a mother, both biologically and emotionally, and a wife. 'Like the dragon forms that we take, the dragon shifters are strong, powerful, courageous and loyal. Our magic is great and our honour greater. Threaten that and you shall know the true meaning of being scorned' Punishment doesn't always mean death, even if that's what you most definitely deserve. And don't lie to me like you lied to my daughter, Katherine, you've always feared me" Hazel countered as she recited the full mantra for her people.

Cherry blinked; that had been the first time Hazel had verbally referred to her as her daughter.

Soon the witch and the dragon-shifting sorceress were in combat, sparring viciously with their magic.

Everyone backed away as far as possible; magic was an unpredictable but powerful asset. And no one could interfere with a sorceress' spar.

* * *

The victor was the more experienced Hazel as she'd gotten Gothel by the throat, glaring at the witch with the fire of a thousand scorned mothers. She already knew that she would defeat Gothel before the spar had even begun. As her husband and cousin-in-law knew. she was a very powerful being - even for her own kind. Finally, the woman she'd despised for so long was now at her mercy. And she had a befitting form of chastisement in mind for Gothel.

"Go on, then. Kill me now that you've got your chance. Show them you're no better than me" Gothel attempted to goad Hazel in a last ditch attempt of a bitter victory, refusing to accept defeat as well as her fate.

Hazel made a portal open; on the other side was the chambers in Cherry's tower. "Foolish little Katherine..weren't you listening before? I told you, I'm not a killer like you are. But I've got a much better idea..how about you spend your final days imprisoned? After all, your parents suffered the same fate, didn't they? As I always say...like rotten parent, like rotten child!" she argued as she threw Gothel into the portal and quickly sealed it before Gothel could even sit up.

The chain that had been around Lukas' wrists suddenly dispelled significantly. It was enough for Lukas to easily pull the dreaded thing apart, freeing himself. He smiled; he knew Hazel would pull through and defeat the cruel woman he had been manipulated to serve for 18 years.

Gothel pulled back a hand as the spell zapped her hand. She huffed. "Magic spell upon this tower, I order you to lose your power!" she demanded. The counter spell didn't work, to her dismay. "Lukas! Get me out of here right now!" she ordered.

Lukas was now in dragon form, level with the window. Even as a dragon, he was smirking. "It delights me to say I can't. You brought this on yourself once you said 'with a dishonest heart'. Cherry was never dishonest...your lies are what trapped you for good. Now you finally rot here alone, Katherine Gothel" he scolded, finally able to express the disdain and contempt he'd held towards Gothel since the night she'd killed Emil. He then flew off for the palace.

Leaving a guilt-ridden Gothel to wallow in self-pity.

* * *

At the palace, Tino turned back into his former glory. He had white blond hair and friendly lavender eyes. He wore white and teal Nordic noble robes. He had teal, turquoise and emerald scales around his face. On his head were two silver curled horns. Surprising Cherry since she had never seen his original form before.

Hazel saw Tino turn back to normal and quickly hugged him with excitement that Gothel's only harmless curse had finally wore off. "Good to see you finally back to your old self, Tino. You're still a shorty, though" she stated, unable to resist a joke at the fact that her cousin-in-law was still four inches shorter than her.

Tino giggled, not even fazed by the joke. He also hugged Cherry. "I'm so proud of you, Cherry! Standing up to Gothel at last!" he cheered.

"Tino?" a voice asked.

Tino perked up and turned to see someone he hadn't seen in over 18 years; his fiancé. She was still as beautiful as the day they'd met. He was slightly shocked as she immediately ran into his arms but he hugged her back wholeheartedly. "My love, I've missed you so much!" he cried as he spun her round.

"Father told me he'd found your clothes in the woods, I thought I'd lost you!" Tino's fiancé exclaimed.

"I hope Arthur knows that all is forgiven. I never blamed him for misunderstanding. But Hazel told me you'd disappeared" Tino stated.

Tino's fiancé flushed pink; on the day she thought Tino had died, she had also found out that she was pregnant with his child as well. Not sure if her child would be safe near her own grandfather, she had left the kingdom in the dead of night. She had relocated to a rural village, raising her daughter. "Um, about that.." she started. She turned and beckoned someone forward.

Tino was surprised that a teenage girl with white blond hair, dressed in teal clothing, stepped forward. She had one lavender eye and one hazel eye. She also had similar scales on her face and horns atop her head as he did. He covered his mouth in realisation; this young girl before him had to be his daughter. He now understood; his fiancé had left for their child's sake.

Tino's fiancé giggled. "Yes, she's your daughter, Tino. Ava, this is your dad...now we can be a real family" she explained.

Ava seemed just as surprised as her father of the meeting. All she had known about her birth father was that he was part of an ancient species and like her mother, she had believed he was dead. So it was a shock to see that her father was in fact alive and well.

* * *

While watching Tino reunite with his fiancé and officially meet his daughter, Hazel was caught off guard by a very familiar embrace from behind; it was Lukas. "I knew you could do it, Hazelnut" he remarked. Her shock quickly became joy as she returned the hug. She had missed him just as much.

"Guess what I found out, Lukie?... Tino has a daughter" Hazel stated, knowing her dear husband would like to hear that he had a second cousin all these years.

A look of shock crossed Lukas' face. "What? Since when? Never knew he had it in him.." he asked.

Hazel laughed at her husband's reaction as she faced him. "Didn't Matthias say the same about you when we found out we were expecting Emil? We've just found out about her tonight..turns out his fiancé left her kingdom because she was pregnant at the time. Her name is Ava. She's the same age our little boy would've been. It seems like we and Tino are no longer the last of our kind..well, Ava's technically a half-breed but it counts" she replied.

Lukas then glanced at Hazel. "Do you forgive me for my foolishness all these years? I hate it when we fight. And I really have missed you, min elskede kone (Norwegian - my beloved wife)" he wondered.

Hazel's eyes became softer and loving as they met with her husband's; he still looked at her with as much devotion and love as he did when they were young newlyweds. By that, she knew that the love he'd once held for her was never really gone. "Most definitely, dear husband. As long as we never let our faith in one another be shattered again" she answered as she yanked the front of her husband's cloak to seal the new vow with a kiss. Surprising him greatly.

Lukas quickly got over the shock and kissed his wife back. "That's a promise I'm sure I can keep. Jeg elsker deg, min kjære (Norwegian - 'I love you, my dear)" he stated once the two broke apart.

"Jeg elsker deg også, Lukie (Norwegian - 'I love you too')" Hazel replied, smiling widely; she'd finally gotten her husband back. Only now, for the first time in 18 years, the dull gold rings the couple had worn on their left fingers for 25 years seemed to glow brightly with a new light.

Ava shuddered, visibly cringing as her parents also kissed. "Gross.." she muttered.

* * *

Queen Marissa approached Cherry. She smiled in relief to see her little sister again. "You look so much like Mother..she and Father never stopped looking for you. When they died, I took on that responsibility. I'm so proud of you, surviving Gothel all these years" she told her sister.

From Marissa's own violet eyes that matched hers, Cherry could tell they were definitely related. "Well, I had a little help..from a friend who's raised me" she answered, nodding over to Hazel.

Queen Marissa did remember Hazel; when her mother had been pregnant with Skye and Cherry, the dragon-shifting sorceress had been invited by Queen Peach to discuss a possibility that Hazel would become a teacher-carer to the twins plus Marissa and any other royal children. Since Lukas had an audience with Merlin the great wizard himself, Hazel had brought along her own son, Emil who initially stayed by his mother's side then later played with Marissa.

"I know. She raised you well. Mother and Father never stopped loving you, you know. Not even on their deathbeds. That love was ever.." Marissa stated.

"Everlasting as the stars above" the two sisters said together.

King Ivan patted both Queen Marissa and Cherry on the shoulders with a hopeful smile. "Privet, Cherry. I am Ivan, Marissa's husband and your brother-in-law. It is great to finally meet you, da" he introduced himself.

King Yao realised a thought. "Marissa? Shall we put this silly feud of ours behind us, aru? For the sake of my brother and your sister, aru?" he asked, indicating a nod to how Kiku and Cherry were gazing at each other.

Queen Marissa smiled as she shook King Yao's hand. "We most certainly can, Yao. Forgive my accusations all these years" she replied.

King Yao laughed as Cherry immediately ran over to hug Kiku. "Water under the bridge, aru" he stated.


End file.
